A 17-year-old boy from uMnambithi (formerly Ladysmith) was bitten by a puff adder after he grabbed it to capture a photo with the venomous snake in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.
Alexander Blignaut’s mother, Maryann, told TimesLIVE Premium she was enjoying lunch with her parents when her son phoned her and “calmly informed me he was bitten by a snake” on a farm in Colenso.
“Sunday January 19 was the worst day ever. Alexander was walking on a farm with his friend and they were looking for bait to catch fish. As he was walking to look for frogs or whatever he could use for fishing, they spotted a snake and he decided it would be a wonderful idea to pick up the snake and take a photo of the snake,” she said.
The grade 11 pupil held the snake while his friend took the photograph.
“Alexander caught the snake, took the photo and let go of the snake, thinking the snake would go away — but it did not. He dropped his phone and as he picked up his phone, the snake turned around and bit him on his right hand,” said Blignaut.
He was rushed to hospital for antivenom to be administered and later discharged.
“He is doing well. The swelling has started to go down on his hand. We will go to see the doctor on Friday to see if there are any damages to his hand from the bite,” Blignaut said.
Arno Naude from Snake Bite Assist said a friend of friend called him for help on Sunday.
“He [Alexander] grabbed it by the head [incorrectly] and posed for a photo. When he went to release it, as he let it go, at the same time he dropped his phone and before the snake could move off, he grabbed at his phone. Big mistake,” he said.
“In a split-second, it penetrated with one fang on his right hand. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he was given four vials of antivenom. They put his arm in a sling, so I suggested to his mother to rather keep the arm straight and still elevate it as much as possible.”
Naude said with all cytotoxic bites there was a discussion about an operation called a fasciotomy.
“I sent the mom the number of one of our doctors on the National Snakebite Advisory Group for a second opinion and to assist with a possible transfer to a provincial hospital. Before this could be finalised, he was discharged as the swelling was subsiding and his blood looked fine,” he said.
“By now the swelling had spread into his torso. He is at home and the swelling looks much better this morning [Wednesday]. However, it will still be painful for a number of days.”
Last year Spotlight reported long-running global shortages of antivenom treatment — the primary registered class of treatments for snakebites — continue to leave patients in poorer parts of the world without the care they need.
But South Africa is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa that produces its own antivenom — which is internationally recognised and outperforms several comparable products when studied in mice. Additionally, research done in the Western Cape shows that hospital pharmacies have traditionally had stock on hand.
However, last year production delays at the country’s state-run manufacturer, the South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP), led to a nationwide shortage of antivenom, leaving many snakebite victims with limited options. The locally made SAVP products (previously the SAIMR) have historically been the main source of antivenom in the country.
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